Impact Leaders: Lisa Morelli, Founder and Director, 4Couture

Lisa is the founder of 4Couture - a creative, boutique agency making stylish corporate clothing, uniforms and branded merchandise for some of the UK’s most recognised brands. With over 20 years in business and 35 years of entrepreneurial experience, Lisa brings a no-nonsense, values-led approach to workwear and promotional products. Her company is proudly B Corp certified and 100% female-owned, with a culture built around empathy, practicality and impact. Follow Lisa here.

Toby: Lisa, can you tell us how 4Couture started and what gap you set out to fill in the corporate clothing and branded merchandise market?

Lisa: It’s a bit of a winding path, actually. I left a tech company where I’d been on the board - great people, exciting growth, but it became very exit-driven, very 'chase the money.' I just had this gut feeling that it wasn’t for me anymore. So I started something new, with the idea of creating an ASOS-style platform for independent designers. But two weeks in, my business partner realised he didn’t want to work for himself and quit! I’d already sold my car and got an office, so I bought him out and thought, 'Well, now what?'Luckily, an old client from my tech days called and said, 'I hear you’re doing something with clothes — can you dress 300 of our team for a big global event?' I said yes, and that project kickstarted everything. From there, we realised there was a real gap in the market for stylish, custom corporate clothing, and we’ve been building on that ever since.

Toby: What are the advantages of running a 100% female-led business - and how has that shaped 4Couture’s workplace culture?

Lisa: Honestly? It just evolved that way. We always hire the best person for the job, but over time we’ve ended up with an all-female team. That’s led to a really open, empathetic culture. We talk about everything - from menopause to school runs - and build flexibility into the business. We’ve got people who shift their hours for childcare, and others who compress their time over the summer holidays. It also helps that there’s no pretense - we drive the van, do the gritty work, and lead with humour. Clients sometimes expect a man in a suit, and instead get us. But that underdog perception means we often surprise people - and over-deliver.

Toby: Why did you decide to get B Corp certification for 4Couture - and what was your experience of the process?

Lisa: It had been on my radar for a while, but lockdown gave me time to really explore it. The more I read, the more I thought: this is us. We’d always run a values-led business - B Corp gave it structure. A client of ours, a big hotel group, had certified and recommended a consultant. He helped us get everything together, and by the end of our workshop day, we’d hit submit. It felt like a huge affirmation of what we were already doing.

Toby: How has becoming a certified B Corp changed how you run 4Couture - both operationally and in your sustainability strategy?

Lisa: We’ve made lots of changes, big and small. One of the first was scrapping our dishwasher, we realised we were running it every night just for mugs. Now everyone has recycled tumblers and takes them home to wash. We’ve switched to 100% renewable electricity, changed our waste provider, and dramatically reduced the amount of waste we generate, even as we’ve grown. We’ve also documented everything. Now there are proper processes, handbooks, measurements. It’s helped us get better at showing, not just telling.

Toby: What impact has B Corp had on your team, have you noticed a cultural shift since certifying?

Lisa: Absolutely. People started suggesting improvements we hadn’t even thought of - like switching to recycled embroidery threads and rethinking our bin labelling. It’s made sustainability something that’s embedded, not top-down. Everyone feels part of it.

Toby: How does 4Couture reduce the environmental impact of uniforms and merchandise?

Lisa: Our end-of-life uniform programme is probably the thing I’m most proud of. If a client has old uniforms, we take them back for free. If they’re in good condition, we remove branding and donate them to charities like Smart Works or homeless shelters. If they’re worn out, we upcycle them into items like bags for life and even dog beds. It keeps branded goods out of landfill and gives them a second life.

Toby: Are your clients actively asking for sustainable workwear and promotional merchandise now?

Lisa: They are, and even when they’re not, we build it in. Five years ago, the product options were limited, but now we can offer fully traceable textiles, undyed fabrics, and materials that give back, like hotel blankets where a portion goes to water.org. Sustainability has become the norm, not the exception.

Toby: How do you manage sustainability in your supply chain - and what’s changed in recent years?

Lisa: We challenge suppliers regularly. When we started, people said no one would pay extra for sustainable options. Now, many of those same suppliers have EcoVadis or ISO certifications. We’ve seen real progress, like uniforms made entirely from post-consumer recycled plastics. It’s not about being perfect. It’s about moving forward and helping clients do better.

Toby: What’s been the biggest challenge in embedding sustainability and ethics into a fast-paced, client-facing business?

Lisa: It’s easy to get overwhelmed. There’s always more to do: more packaging to change, more policies to update. You have to pace yourself and remember you can’t do it all overnight. And also, profitability matters. You can’t make an impact if your business isn’t healthy. We try to strike that balance every day.

Toby: What’s your top piece of advice for SMEs looking to make their merchandise or uniform programmes more sustainable?

Lisa: Use the free B Impact Assessment, even if you don’t plan to certify, it’s an incredible tool. And don’t try to do it all yourself. I spent six months stuck before I brought in help. Also, involve your team. That was the turning point for us, everyone felt ownership, and we moved faster together.

Toby: What’s next for 4Couture on your responsible business journey - and are you preparing for the new B Corp standards?

Lisa: We’re getting ready to recertify and looking at other accreditations like EcoVadis and ISO 14001. We want to keep raising the bar, but we’re mindful of capacity too, we’re still a small business. We want to measure what we do well and keep improving.

Toby: Any books or people you’d recommend to others trying to build a more purpose-led business?

Lisa: I read a lot - two books a week sometimes! One that really stuck with me recently is “Unreasonable Hospitality” by Will Guidara. It’s about leading with care, putting people at the centre of everything you do. That’s something we try to live by here too.

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This series of interviews is in support of our mission to accelerate sustainability and decarbonisation across SMEs, NGOs and value chains. By sharing experiences, lessons learned and tips and tricks to embedding sustainability, we can all learn how to improve more, faster.

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